The HKB / MA DESIGN offers you an individual course for design and design-research projects with a high degree of social relevance in the fields of Entrepreneurship and Research, as a full-time student (over 3 semesters) or as a part-time student (over 5 semesters).

What is the HKB / MA DESIGN all about?

The HKB / MA DESIGN is focused on developing your project from the first idea until it is ready for implementation. It offers you small classes for individual support, and provides you sufficient time to identify a socially relevant design problem or research question, to analyse the problem or state of research, to create innovative solutions or new knowledge, and finally to formulate a business concept or research plan.

You apply with an idea for a product, a service or a research project. The programme advises you in finding appropriate supervisors, and in designing your curriculum according to the specific needs of your project.

What does the HKB / MA DESIGN mean by “Design with social relevance”?

The HKB / MA DESIGN puts the social relevance of design and research at the heart of things. The programme thematises the complex networks of relationships between human beings and objects and between people and the environment.

You thereby learn and apply creative and scientific theories, methods and tools that will enable you to develop innovative solutions to socially relevant problems and to increase the social relevance of your project. These include, for example, planning, carrying out interviews, participatory observation, workshops, cultural probes, on-site inspections and “empathy tools”.

What is the result of my studies and what can I do after graduating from HKB / MA DESIGN?

On the “Entrepreneurship” track you will conclude your studies with a business concept for a design-based product or service that you can make the basis of a subsequent career. With your final project you can found your own company and apply for design grants or start-up support, in particular for DEAL, the Berner Designinitiative programme for excellent entrepreneurial design projects.

On the “Research” track you will conclude your studies with a research plan for a design research project that you will carry out in your subsequent career. With your final project you will apply for research support or for admission to a doctoral programme, in particular at the doctoral program Studies in the Arts (SINTA) of the Faculty of Humanities at the University of Bern (Universität Bern) and the Bern University of the Arts (HKB).

The skills and competencies gained during your studies will increase your chances of achieving an attractive career as an independent designer, entrepreneur, or design researcher.

What are our #madalumni doing?
Check out the beautiful work of @bienvenuestudios ! The studio is...25. May 20Instagram

What are our #madalumni doing?
Check out the beautiful work of @bienvenuestudios ! The studio is...25. May 20

What are our #madalumni doing? Check out the beautiful work of @bienvenuestudios ! The studio is run by our Alumni Xiaqun Wu and Olivier Hischier. They also designed the communication materials for the “Guest Lecture Festival 2017”. Once a year, the MAD students organize their own festival – due to Corona this year it'll be a podcast. We'll keep you posted ! ​ ​​#hkb #madhkb #socialdesign #lecture #festival #bern #graphicdesign #patterndesign #creative #madalumni #designer #illustration #graphicart #designsfromnature #bienvenuestudios

We would like to share a post and some entertainment for you provided by our fellows @baviskom.....11. May 20Instagram

We would like to share a post and some entertainment for you provided by our fellows @baviskom.....11. May 20

We would like to share a post and some entertainment for you provided by our fellows @baviskom... "In the context of the ongoing series of lectures called GK-Talks at the HKB Bern, we would have had the pleasure to welcome Silvio Lorusso for a presentation around his book Entreprecariat last week. Silvio is a writer, artist and designer living in Rotterdam, NL, whose works focusses on the cultures and rhetorical regimes embedded in techno-social systems. Instead of seeing him live in the auditorium of our dearly missed F11, you can still follow up on his ideas by watching him talk on YouTube." Check out the fancy new website of @baviskom www.gestalten.be to do so! #designentrepreneurship #socialdesign #madesign #hkbmadesign #entreprecariat @entreprecariat

The Swissdesignnetwork SDN has launched an open call for workshops. Each year they grant CHF 2000 each to two young researchers or research groups from the Swiss Universities of Art and Design to conduct a workshop, event or other similar public activity. Learn more about the requirements at https://swissdesignnetwork.ch/news/open-call-workshop-grant-swiss-design-network.

We are happy to announce: the Swiss Design Network Workshop Grant for promising design researchers. Follow the link for more information and the application guidelines and procedure.

We're looking forward to your applications. Application deadline is the 5 June 2020

Please feel free to share this post and spread the word! You have any questions shoot us a message.

We're very proud to announce that our alumna Maria Mahdessian @maria.mahd is co-organizing “Recla...05. May 20Instagram

We're very proud to announce that our alumna Maria Mahdessian @maria.mahd is co-organizing “Recla...05. May 20

We're very proud to announce that our alumna Maria Mahdessian @maria.mahd is co-organizing “ReclaimFutures”, a tech and culture conference that was initially due to take place in Lausanne, but now will be hosted fully online from 18–20 September. The conference is focused on post-capitalist desire, utopian exploration, through the lens of computing and ecology and is intended as an antidote to so-called “innovation” oriented technology conferences.

We are having another session of aptitude interviews today @hkbmad, and are already looking forwa...05. May 20Instagram

We are having another session of aptitude interviews today @hkbmad, and are already looking forwa...05. May 20

We are having another session of aptitude interviews today @hkbmad, and are already looking forward to meeting the applicants! Have a close look at our transitional objects made by @whereshadowsfall which connect and accompany us currently as we're not able to meet in the real world. It was a pure coincidence, honestly 😄

Our alumna María Mahdessian is currently working on “ReclaimFutures”, a tech and culture conference that was initially due to take place in Lausanne in September, but now will be hosted online. The conference is focused on post-capitalist desire, utopian exploration, through the lens of computing and ecology and is intended as an antidote to so-called “innovation” oriented technology conferences. Sounds intriguing? Register as a speaker or listener at https://reclaimfutures.org/.ReclaimFutures is a technology and culture conference exploring post-capitalist desire, utopian horizons, alternative computing and ecology..

Our colleagues from the Health Care Communication Design working group at the Institute of Design Research at the Hochschule der Künste Bern HKB / Haute école des arts de Berne HKB have launched a blog on the visual aspects of measures to reduce the corona pandemic and ask the question: What does good design mean today? https://hccd.hypotheses.org/

What are our MAD ALUMNI doing? Good question !! Let's have a look during the coming weeks ... Ins...20. Avr 20Instagram

What are our MAD ALUMNI doing? Good question !! Let's have a look during the coming weeks ... Ins...20. Avr 20

What are our MAD ALUMNI doing? Good question !! Let's have a look during the coming weeks ... Insight #01 Read the article of MAD alumnus 2020 @maxfrischknecht in @magazinsaiten on the topic of digital surveillance during corona. Link: https://www.saiten.ch/digitaler-balanceakt/

What do you think they're cooking up? Corona does not stop the students of the MA Design from pla...09. Avr 20Instagram

What do you think they're cooking up? Corona does not stop the students of the MA Design from pla...09. Avr 20

What do you think they're cooking up? Corona does not stop the students of the MA Design from planning this year's Guest Lecture Festival! You can look forward to a very interesting series of podcast ... We will keep you posted! . . #hkbmadesign #distancelearnig #guestlecturefestival #podcast #designresearch #designentrepreneurship #designwithsocialimpact #coronacannotstopus

What a nice example of design with social relevance: Our alumnus Kilian So organized a hackathon in the face of the Corona crisis from which a collaborative, virtual shelf to collect donations for all those who are in need was created. Now it is up to you to refill the shelf and share the link!

Refill the shelf and help people who are in need due to the corona crisis.

If the events of the past few weeks have prevented you from applying to the HKB / MA DESIGN, we would like to offer you the opportunity to do so by extending the deadline to Wednesday, 15. April 2020. We are looking forward to your applications at https://www.hkb.bfh.ch/en/studies/master/design/.

The admission procedure will take place as planned, but the interviews will be held via video. If you have already applied, you will be informed within the next few days whether you will be invited to an interview.

If the events of the past few weeks have prevented you from applying to the HKB / MA Design, we w...23. Mar 20Instagram

If the events of the past few weeks have prevented you from applying to the HKB / MA Design, we w...23. Mar 20

If the events of the past few weeks have prevented you from applying to the HKB / MA Design, we would like to offer you the opportunity to do so by extending the deadline to Wednesday, 15. April 2020. We are looking forward to your applications at link in bio. The admission procedure will take place as planned, but the interviews will be held via video. If you have already applied, you will be informed within the next few days whether you will be invited to an interview. Stay healthy! @hkbmad @hkb_bfh #applyknow #designentrepreneurship #designresearch #designwithsocialimpact

We are pleased to welcome Rahel Inauen as senior assistant at the HKB / MA DESIGN. Rahel will replace Miriam Koban during her maternity leave until the beginning of December 2020.

Rahel completed her studies at the HKB / MA Design in 2019 with a project on the participation of refugees in creative processes. Currently, she is working at the Hochschule der Künste Bern HKB / Haute école des arts de Berne HKB as a coordinator for exchange with grammar and secondary schools. Thus, she is more than familiar with the study program and processes within the HKB. Rahel was also responsible for organizing this year's field trip to Rotterdam. She gained valuable practical experience as an interdisciplinary designer in the fields of product, communication, and social design for various clients and studios.

We are pleased to have found with Rahel a great person to replace Miriam and look forward to working with her. At the same time, we wish Miriam, despite the difficult circumstances, all the best for the birth and a happy time with her newborn.

@hkbmad @rahelinauen We at HKB / MA Design are pleased to welcome Rahel Inauen to our team. Rahel will take over the position of the Senior Assistant from Miriam Koban (maternity substitute) from 24 March 2020. Rahel completed her studies at the MAD in January 2019 and is currently working at the HKB as a coordinator between the HKB and grammar and secondary schools. She is very familiar with the study program and processes at the HKB. Rahel was also responsible for organising this year's MAD field trip. She gained valuable practical experience as a designer in the field of product / social / communication design for various clients and design studios. Rahel is also a human enriching personality for the MA Design. Cheers to a good teamwork!

Also the Hochschule der Künste Bern HKB / Haute école des arts de Berne HKB has reacted to the measures by the Federal Council to reduce the spread of the coronavirus and discontinued face-to-face teaching. However, the registration process continues unchanged. Apply by Monday, 16. March 2020. We look forward to your applications at https://www.hkb.bfh.ch/en/studies/master/design/!

Inputs on strategies of publishing by Tania Prill, Professor of Typography at the University of A...14. Feb 20Instagram

Inputs on strategies of publishing by Tania Prill, Professor of Typography at the University of A...14. Feb 20

Inputs on strategies of publishing by Tania Prill, Professor of Typography at the University of Arts Bremen and Karin van de Jong. Karin runs the Print Room where one finds books about art, design and culture produced mostly in a self publishing way or by very small publisher houses in a limited amount. The Print Print Room offers Books one cannot find on the normal book market. Thanks for having us! @printroom_rtm #hochschulederkuenstebremen @hkbmad @hkb_bfh #selfpublishing #independentpublishing

Introduction to A/BZ, @afbuza a Rotterdam based studio working in the field of social design. Fou...13. Feb 20Instagram

Introduction to A/BZ, @afbuza a Rotterdam based studio working in the field of social design. Fou...13. Feb 20

Introduction to A/BZ, @afbuza a Rotterdam based studio working in the field of social design. Founded by Jan Belon @janbelon & Jop Japenga #jopjapenga . Thanks for hosting us! Afternoon program: Workshop with students from MA Desig of Piet Zwart Institute @wdka and HKB / MA Design @hkbmad @hkb_bfh #socialdesign #socialissue #madfieldtrip2020